Rutgers men's basketball position breakdown

William Perlman/The Star-LedgerRutgers center Hamady Ndiaye is one of the top returning players this season for the Scarlet Knights.

RUTGERS POSITION BREAKDOWN

POINT GUARD
Player;;Elig.;;Ht.;;Wt.

Mike Coburn;;Jr.;;6-0;;185

James Beatty;;Jr.;;6-2;;195

Mike Kuhn;;So.;;6-1;;190

Charlie Rigoglioso;;Jr.;;6-2;;185

BREAKDOWN: The key here will be how Coburn and Beatty play off one another. Fred Hill has said that Coburn is more of a shoot-first point guard, while the junior college transfer Beatty is more of a natural point guard with a pass-first mentality. Either way, it’s likely an upgrade of the rotation of different players Hill used at the spot last season — none of which worked out well.

SHOOTING GUARDS

Mike Rosario;;So..;;6-3;;180

Muhamed Hasani;;Fr.;;6-3;;190

BREAKDOWN: This Rutgers team begins and ends with Rosario. He is the leading scoring option for this team, but he’ll have to get better at picking his spots and not trying to take on the world, which he had a tendency to do last season. Rosario appears to have also developed a bit more physically, which should help once the team gets into Big East play. Hasani is a wild card. Hill likes the way he can shoot and pass in the prototypical European mold, but can he adjust to the different styles of Big East teams enough to be a legit contributor?

FORWARDS

Greg Echenique;;So.;;6-9;;295

Jonathan Mitchell;;Jr.;;6-7;;225

Austin Johnson;;Fr.;;6-8;;230

Patrick Jackson;;So.;;6-6;;210

Dane Miller;;Fr.;;6-7;;210

Tomasz Kokosinski;;So.;;6-7;;235

BREAKDOWN: For as much as opponents will try and shut down Rosario, Echenique is the player that teams will have to gameplan for. After knocking around down low for a season with the big boys in the conference, look for Echenique to take a step up in terms of offensive production. He’s a legit double-double guy in the mold of former Pittsburgh star DaJuan Blair. Mitchell will provide much-needed athleticism to the lineup as a true swingman. Look for Austin Johnson to make an impact as a freshman; he's a smart player who’s knows the game and studies tape.

CENTERS

Hamady Ndiaye;;Sr.;;6-11;;235

Brian Okam;;Fr.;;7-0;;245

BREAKDOWN: Having a healthy Ndiaye this season will make all the difference for Rutgers. After struggling through last season with a back injury, he says he’s 99 percent healthy this year. Always a defensive threat for his career, Ndiaye’s blocking ability took a dive because of his back injury, but he’s been working out in the offseason and feels he can get back to his former levels. Even though he’s 7-0, Okam appears to be a project at this point, but could see some limited time early in the year.